RNI No. MAHEN/2007/21778 POSTAL REGN. NO. NMB/154/2020-22/VASHI MDG POST OFFICE

The Dynamic Daily Newspaper of

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Navi Mumbai

VOL. 13 • ISSUE 220January

2020SUNDAY

19

NEWS IN

BRIEF

ICACT to celebrateits 29th Annual Day

Indian Classical Artsand Cultural Trust (ICACT)is celebrating its 29th Annu-al Day on 19th January2020. Around 1000 studentswill be staging performanc-es. Also ICACT Dance Stu-dios will be presenting their2nd Annual show of actorLaughy Paul's Dance Insti-tute's Western Dancers.The show will be held frommorning 11am to 9 pm.

Husband sentencedfor 5 years Rigorous

Imprisonment formurdering wife

The Panvel Session Courthas sentenced a man for 5years rigorous impressmentand a fine of Rs 20,000 formurdering his wife. The ac-cused, Srinivas SubbaraoChittori, 45, killed his wife byhitting her head with a ham-mer for suspecting her char-acter. The incident took placeat Kendriya Vihar Colony,Kharghar in January2016… (More on page 5)

Free demosession on Pranic

HEAL-A-THONToday

Pranic Healing Foundationof South Mumbai has orga-nised a pranic heal-a-thonon Saturday 18th Januaryand Sunday 19th January,2020 at MCKS SohamPranic Healing Centre inNerul from 9am to 7pm. Theorganisers have invitedeveryone from the city for afree demo session. (Moreon page 3)

Contd. on pg. 2

By Abhitash D. Singh

NAVI MUMBAI: TheNavi Mumbai TrafficPolice along withVashi and PanvelRegional TransportOffice (RTO) havedecided to tighten theirnoose against errantauto drivers in NaviMumbai as well as inPanvel regions. Theflying squads, especial-

Soon flying squadsto monitor errant

auto driversThe initiative will ease the problems of

the passengers in the city

ly constituted for thepurpose, will takeaction against the autodrivers who plywithout the badge,permit or license andalso ferry more thanthree passengers inauto.

Sunil Lokhande,Deputy Commissioner

Contd. on pg. 2

Contd. on pg. 4

By Chandrashekhar Hendve

NAVI MUMBAI: Fromcoming Monday, 20thJanuary, 2020, theKonkan Division atCBD Belapurwill have aChief Minis-ter's Secretari-at Room, saidDivisionalRevenueCommissionerShivaji Daund.

The dailyquestions of thegeneral public,the work doneat the govern-ment level, theapplications received,the nominations, thereferences are accept-ed at the Chief Minis-

Konkan Division to have

CM Secretariat Roomter's SecretariatRoom, Ministry,Mumbai and sent tothe concerned regionallevel governing body

for proper action.However, in order toenable more people tolodge their grievances

and to ensure trans-parency and mobility,the regional office ofChief Minister'sSecretariat is being

opened at theDivisionalCommission-er's Office, MrDaund alsosaid.

The DeputyCommissioner(Revenue) willact as the ChiefMinister'sSecretariat.

At theregional level ofthe Chief

Minister's Secretariat(CMO) at the depart-

Shabana Azmi sustainsserious injuries in anaccident at Khalapur

Film fraternity prays for her early recovery

By Abhitash D.Singh

KHALAPUR: Veteranactress, ShabanaAzmi sustained

serious injuries in anaccident at Khalapuron 18th January, 2020and was admitted at

MGM Hospital inKalamboli. She was

Sunday, 19 January 2020www.newsband.in | dailynewsband@yahoo.co.in 2

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Motoristsupset ...Contd. from pg. 1

of Police, Traffic hasasked both the Vashiand Panvel RTO totake strict actionagainst all the au-torickshaw owners anddrivers who are on theroad without licence,permit and badges.

Speaking withNewsband correspon-dent Sunil Lokhandesaid, “The plan to forma flying squad is tobring the lawbreakersto book. We have beenreceiving severalcomplaints from eachand every corner of thecity that the autodrivers are plyingvehicles withoutwearing badges. Thereare also complaints

that some of the autodrivers are under theage of 17. One can alsosee the scrapped autorickshaws comingback on road, which isa matter of greatconcern for us. We willalso be protecting theflying squad from anyattacks from themembers of autorickshaw unions whenthe illegal auto rick-shaws are seized.”

Lokhande furtheradded, “The flyingsquads or the trafficpolice will ask the autodrivers for appropriatedriving licence andvehicle permit and ifthey did not possessthese, action will betaken. Also, if scrappedauto rickshaws arefound on road, thesewill be seized immedi-

ately.”“I have seen that in

the areas like Vashi,Turbhe, Nerul,Khandeshwar, Panvel,Seawoods, Ulwe theauto drivers ferrymore than the permit-ted number of passen-gers. According to RTOnorms, only threepassengers can beallowed in one auto,but nowadays some ofthe auto drivers can beseen ferrying sixpeople in one autowhich can be danger-ous. They are breakingthe rules just for thesake of money. Some-times, the auto driverseven demand exorbi-tant fare, which aremuch higher than theactual fare and refuseto go by meter,” saidSanjay Pandey, a

Soon flyingsquads...Contd. from pg. 1

resident of Vashi.Ulwe resident

Priyanka Naik whoalways takes autofrom Nerul to Ulwe onsharing basis said,“The auto driverscharge Rs.30 andRs.40 on sharing seatfrom Nerul station(East) till ShagunReality in Ulwe Sector-19, which is exorbi-tant. I think if flyingsquad is deployed thenthis issue will getsolved and the passen-gers will be able toheave a sigh of relief.”

Lokhande in-formed, “To beginwith, we are planningto initiate the drive inVashi, Turbhe, Nerul,Seawoods, Ulwe,Khandeshwar andPanvel and it will beon a regular basis.”

later shifted to Kokila-ben Ambani Hospitalin Andheri. ShabanaAzmi and her hus-band Javed Akhtarwere returning backto Mumbai after

celebrating JavedAkhtar’s birthday.Ever since the newscame to light, the filmfraternity have beensending their wishesfor her speedy recov-ery.

The accidenthappened at around3:30 pm near Khal-

apur which is about60 kilometers awayfrom Mumbai. TheTata Safari Suv inwhich the 69 year oldactress was travellingalong with her hus-band, Javed Akhtarwas rammed by atruck from behind.Javed Akhtar did notsuffer injuries.

The impact of theaccident was so highthat the front pas-sanger’s side of theSUV was completelydestroyed. A photoshows the bonnet ofthe car crumpled andthe radiator andbonnet wrecked.

Anil Paraskar,Superintendent ofPolice, Raigad in-formed the mediathat, “Soon afterlearning about theaccident, we rushed tothe spot and investi-gated the scene. Theactress was rushed toMGM hospital and herinitial treatment was

carried out there.”Also the highway

police patrol teamsrushed to investigatethe accident site.

Exclusively Speak-ing with NewsbandVeteran Actor RazaMurad said, “I wasshocked to learn aboutthe accident. I willpray for her earlyrecovery.”

Anshuman Jha,Actor of Love Sex aurDhoka and manyother acclaimedmovies said, “ShabanaMam is a reallyfighter and she willdefinitely recover veryfast. I wish for herspeedy recovery.”

The veteranactress was awardedPadma Shri in 1998and has bagged forfive times the Nation-al Film Award. She isknown for her work inthe critically ac-claimed movies likeAnkur, Arth andMandi.

Send us your problem at

dailynewsband@yahoo.co.in

with pictures and we will try and ensure

that the authorities take action

Sunday, 19 January 2020www.newsband.in | dailynewsband@yahoo.co.in 3

Opposition leader PritamMhatre’s birthday celebrated

Panvel: On the occasion of the birth anniversary of the opposition leader of the PanvelMunicipal Corporation, Pritam Mhatre, various social activities.

By Chandrashekhar Hendve

NAVI MUMBAI: ShivSena felicitate thetraffic police men,Police Naik Basare,Police Naik Tambe

Shiv Sena felicitates traffic policemenfor saving life of a woman

and staff Rathod,Dandekar who saved awoman from commit-ting suicide at VashiBridge. Pradeep Wagh-mare, Lingesh Dhotre,

Rajesh Medkar,Maruti Manjule,Sanjay Medkar, AshokBhamre, NileshVaskar and otherswere present.

By Staff Correspondent

NAVI MUMBAI:Pranic HealingFoundation of SouthMumbai has organ-ised a pranic heal-a-thon on Saturday18th January andSunday 19th January,2020 at MCKS SohamPranic HealingCentre in Nerul from9am to 7pm. Theorganisers haveinvited everyone fromthe city for a freedemo session.

In the healing andmediation session theorganisers will betaking varioussessions for a periodof two days. Sessionslike introduction topranic healing wherethe participants willlearn about theteaching aura andchakra science, howto feel the energy andhow to learn toremove negativeenergy etc. will beheld. In meditationsession, the partici-pants will be in-formed how to releasestress, expansion ofaura, experienceinner peace and howto strengthen theimmunity. The lastsession will be on

Free demo session onPranic HEAL-A-THON Today

energy healing wherethe participants willknow about the energyhealing- No Touch, NoMedicine and to healvarious lifestyle disor-der like hypertension,heart ailments, diabe-tes etc and last how toheal the anxiety, fearsand phobia etc.

During the session,there will also besessions on how tobecome a healer in just16 hours and how toheal the relationshipsalong with the finances.

The organisers haveappealed the citizens tobook their slot in orderto transform their lifein just 120 minutes.For registration pleasecontact: 9664402452/8291353050/9819612145 or emailon info@pranichealingnavimumbai.com

By Ashok Dhamija

NAVI MUMBAI: Vashibased premier culturalorganisation Vashi FineArts Society will be cel-ebrating the 173rd SriThyagaraja AradhanaMahotsavam “VashiyilThiruvaiyaru” on Sun-day the 19th January atJhulelal Mandir(Ground floor) in Sector9A, Vashi (behind VashiBus Depot).

Rich and solemnmusical tributes will bepaid to the Saint PoetThyagaraja Swami inthe traditional mannerby the musicians,teachers, students andupcoming artistes bygroup rendering thePancha Ratna Keerta-nas. Apart from sing-ing, artistes are alsoexpected to play onmusical instrumentslike Veena, Venu(flute), Violin, Mridan-gam, Ghatam, Gan-jira, Morsing etc.

This will be followedby a special musicalpresentation titled “SriThyagaraja UtsavaVaibhavam” by TeamKaivalyam led by Smt

VFAS To Celebrate Sri ThyagarajaAradhana Mahotsavam This Sunday

Faithful paying tribute to Saint Poet Thyagaraja Swamiwith sitar recital (File Photo)

Kanchana Manyamand party with narra-tions by Smt MohanaIyer. There will be An-janeya utsavam andprasadam distribution

thereafter. Singing ofPancharatna Keerta-nas will start sharp at9am.

The Secretary ofVFAS has requestedall the participants totake their positionsfor singing as well asplaying the musicalinstruments by 8.45

am so that the Pan-charatna Keertanascan be started in timeat 9am sharp and theother programs can beheld as scheduled

Saint Poet Thyagaraja Swami

Sunday, 19 January 2020www.newsband.in | dailynewsband@yahoo.co.in 4

Issue : 220 19 January, 2020

God has given a giftto the people of Mum-bai and Pune in theform of two hill towns-Lonawala and Khanda-la. These places lie onthe Mumbai-Pune beltand people passingthrough Expressway orthe old route thorough-ly enjoy the nature'sbeauty in the best waypossible.

Apart from the Ex-pressway, one can go tothese places via railroute which passesthrough the greenmountain and give thepassengers a pleasantsight to watch. It is justHeaven on Earth.

The landscape andthe valleys give a greenlook, which are a treatto the eyes. Duringcloudy rainy season,one can enjoy the sce-nic beauty with smokesurrounding thesemountains from three

TRAVELOGUE

Lonawala and Khandala -Heaven on Earth

By C K Subramaniam

sides. Monsoon rainsand Mountain rangesadd colour to this en-chanting route. Rainseason is the best toenjoy the scenic beau-ty. The atmosphere isvery clear and you cansee the mountain rang-es from a long distancevery clearly. The greenvegetation and the birds

flying near the moun-tains is a sight to cher-ish. The fog/smog hitthe mountains nearKhandala and gives youthe feeling that thecloud is at your grasp.

During heavy rainswater flows from allparts of the mountainsand it gathers as smallrivulets. One can seesilver stream passingthrough at a distancefrom all the sides. The

chirping of birds givesa musical sound. Thejourney of around 90minutes through Mon-soon rains and Moun-tain ranges is really athrill. One can visual-ise the magic momentsand get a closer look ofnature.

At times we can seethe cloud hovering low

around the mountainsand the rain drops fallon you if you are seatednear the window of yourcar or bus. The climatein the valley and on theway is rather cool. How-ever, road users shoulddrive with caution asthe roads tend to getslippery during mon-soon season. Big stonesfall from the hill side.The writer is freelancer fromSanpada, Navi Mumbai

Good decisionThe provision made by the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corpora-

tion in the budget to construct a swimming pool for the citizens iscertainly a good step. The need for entertainment comes only nextto the three basic needs for human beings i.e. food, shelter andclothing. After toiling hard to earn these basic needs, people needa place to unwind and relax and this calls for developing facilitiesfor entertainment like parks, clubs, theatres, libraries etc. Butnothing could be better than the entertainment facility also pro-viding exercise at the same time and thus helping to recoup andrejuvenate the person and prepare him for another hectic day.Swimming is one such exercise which helps to relax besides pro-viding all round toning of mind and body. It is all the more relaxingduring summers when scorching sun and sultry climate seem todampen the spirits.

Swimming is not only liked by people who know the sport butalso by the people who just want to drench and lie in the cool waterbody for relaxing. This calls for facilities of swimming pools near-by residential pockets so that most of the people can enjoy it. Sinceit is almost impossible for individuals to create such facilities, ex-cept the few showered by wealth and have their private swimmingpools and beaches, such facilities need to be developed and pro-vided at affordable prices by the state authority or any welfare as-sociation.

Citing dearth of funds the state authorities of late were shyingaway from providing such facility and it is left to the welfare asso-ciations or the private society to take the initiatives. However asa gesture, state has been making lands available at nominal coststo the welfare or sport authorities for creating such facilities. Thishas its fallouts too. Many clubs or associations avail such benefitsfrom the government and later utilize it for the personal gains offew individuals at the helm of affairs of such clubs. The member-ship of such clubs is literally being auctioned, again to the disad-vantage to the middle and lower class of the society who are un-able to afford such exorbitant fees. Sometimes, memberships aresold at undisclosed cash premiums besides the legitimate thoughexorbitant membership fees. Such schemes are being viewed as ameans of minting money and many times scrupulous elements entersuch schemes, form clubs and there are instances where hugeamounts collected as membership fees have been swindled by afew individuals in the committee and the club could not see thelight of the day.

It is heartening that NMMC has finally decided to create a swim-ming pool of international standards. It would enable the peoplefrom all sections of society to utilize it and in the long run this shallalso provide young talents at state and national levels who couldparticipate in sports events and end the drought being felt at in-ternational sports events like swimming.

J M Mhatre Infra Pvt Ltdallocates medical insurance

policy to 2,500 workers

Panvel: JM Mhatre Infra Pvt Ltd, in collaboration with JM Mhatre Charitable Organiza-tion Panvel, on the occasion of Opposition leader Pritam Mhatre’s birthday allottedmedical insurance to 2,500 workers and also distributed helmets to motorist.

KonkanDivision...

Contd. from pg. 1

mental level, thegeneral public cansend applications,statements, referencesetc. to the ChiefMinister. Acknowledg-ment regardingreceipt of applications,statements andreferences will begiven to the con-cerned. All applica-tions, references,

statements, applica-tions / references onwhich application isexpected at theregional level will beforwarded to theconcerned RegionalOfficers under thecontrol of the Depart-ment for immediateaction. Also, monthlyreports will be givento the Governmentregarding all theapplications / referenc-es received in thisclass, the applications

/ references sent to theRegional Officer forproper proceedings,pending applicationsetc.

Shivaji Daund,Divisional Commis-sioner (Revenue) hasappealed that thepeople of KonkanDivision shouldcontact the ChiefMinister's SecretariatRoom, 1st Floor,Konkan Bhavan, CBDBelapur, Navi Mum-bai.

Sunday, 19 January 2020www.newsband.in | dailynewsband@yahoo.co.in 5

By Chandrashekhar Hendve

NAVI MUMBAI: Aspart of the ongoingRoad Safety Week anawareness programmewas organised at Digha.The programme wasorganised guidance ofNavi Mumbai (Vashi)Sub-Regional Trans-port Officer and underDeepiksha Motor

Training School Digha.Speaking during the

occasion Assistant Re-gional Transport Offic-er of Navi Mumbai,Rajendra Sawant, said,School students shouldbe taught about travelrules and make themresponsible citizens.

The program wasattended by Senior In-

spector of Police RabaleYogesh Gawade, TrafficSPI, Bhagoji Auti, Po-lice Officer RameshJamkhandikar, RTOOfficer Sanjay Funde,RTO Officer YogendraSingh Shitole, RabaleAnup Achrekar, Headof Deepiksha MotorSchool, school teacherand staff were present.

Children need to learn to follow rules from childhood;says Assistant Dy RTO Rajendra Sawant

Program organizerAnup Acharekar saidthat traffic police arethe ones who serve onthe streets. He furthersaid, everyone shouldfollow the rules.

During the pro-gramme drawing com-petition was held andthe winners wereawarded.

Khandeshwar policesearch for couple for

cheating hundreds of peopleBy: Crime Reporter

NAVI MUMBAI:Khandeshwar policeare on the look out fora couple, who haveduped hundreds of in-vestors to the tune ofRs 53 lakh 62 thousandrupees by giving falsepromise that theywould get a personalloan or business loan ofRs 20 lakh refund ifthey invested money inAlpha Gold FinanceCompany.

The police have reg-istered a case of cheat-ing against the accusedMukarram Ali Ansarialias Mohammed AliAnsari alias M.M. Re-kha Kamble alias Man-isha Gumre alias Kali-ka Kamble. The duoalso cheated many peo-ple in Mumbai in a sim-ilar manner and Mum-bai police had arrestedMukarram Ansari in2017.

The accused in thecase, Mukarram Ansa-ri and Rekha Kamble,both in 2017, had metPanvel and small busi-ness owners throughtheir acquaintancesand said that they hadcome up with a profit-able scheme to investmoney in the stockmarket. At that time,Mukaran Ansari wasthe owner of Alpha GoldFinance Company andRekha Kamble wassaid to be the groupleader of the company.The head office of AlphaGold Finance Companyis located in Delhi andits branch is located inZurich, Switzerland. Inorder to become a mem-ber of this company,

they said that an initialdeposit of Rs 20,000 isrequired. They also saidthat the money accept-ed by the members wasbeing invested in thestock market by thecompany.

Also, the individualmember investors wereoffered a personal orbusiness loan upto Rs 20lakh as dividend- 15lakh in the form of de-mand draft and Rs. 5lakh in cash. In thehope of getting a non-refundable loan of Rs 20lakh, some investorspaid the amount andwere given fake copiesof the demand draft ofRs 15 lakh to each in-vestor. In this way, thecouple raised 53 lakh 62thousand from 117 peo-ple.

After that, all theinvestors sat in thehope that they wouldget the remaining Rs 5lakh in cash. But theydid not get a single pen-ny in the last two anda half years. Whensome investors tried tosearch for the details ofthe finance company,they found that therewas no such companyand the demand draft ofRs 15 lakh given tothem was also fake.Later, 117 fraudulentinvestors came togeth-er and lodged a com-plaint with Khandesh-war police station.

Based on the com-plaint, Assistant PoliceInspector VaibhavRongye said that a casehas been registeredagainst Mukaran An-sari and Rekha Kamblefor fraud and forgery.

By Dinesh Pawar

URAN: 30-year-old, Walmiki Dnyaneshwar De-vare, who works with the CISF in the ONGCproject of Uran, has gone missing after a quarrelwith his family since Monday.

Devare, who works as CISF jawan in theONGC project, Uran lived with his family in DauarNagar.

A complaint has been lodged at Uran policestation. After the complaint, the police have startedsearching for the missing jawan. Devare, it islearnt, was addicted to alcohol.

ONGC project CISFjawan missing

31st Road Safety Week concludesBy Crime Reporter

NAVI MUBAI: The 31st Road Safe-ty Week ended with a programmethat was organized by the NaviMumbai Traffic Department andRegional Transport DepartmentPanvel at the Navi Mumbai policeheadquarters in Kalamboli. FamousMarathi artist Santosh Juvekar,Commissioner of Police Sanjay Ku-mar, Deputy Commissioner ofCrime Branch Pravin Kumar Pa-

Cont. on pg. 12

Sunday, 19 January 2020www.newsband.in | dailynewsband@yahoo.co.in 6

Kids from Mumbai bag trophy at16th State-level UCMAS Abacus &

Mental Arithmetic Competition 2020

9 year old Siddharth Sahoo from Thane won Champion of

Champions trophy and cash prize worth `30,000

MUMBAI: Provingmind-bending mathcapabilities, 9-year-old Siddharth Saboo(Thane) and threeother Mumbai-basedstudents have wonthe 16th State-LevelAbacus & MentalArithmetic competi-tion held on Sunday,January 12 in Mum-bai. Saboo's winhelped him lift the'Champion of Cham-pions' title trophy andbag a cash prizeworth ?30,000.

4,000 UCMASstudents acrossMaharashtra hadparticipated in theUCMAS Abacus &

Mental ArithmeticCompetition 2020between the agegroups of 4-14 years.The complex textinvolved solving 200mathematical prob-lems in 8 minutes,using only the abacusor mental maths. Thefinal four winners areall Mumbaikars fromdifferent Mumbai-based UCMAScentres.

The other winnersfor this prestigiouscontest includedAditya SatyanarayanGowds from PrernaAcademy on MiraRoad (FoundationModule Champion),

Ronil Ravi Aswanifrom Bhavya UcmasAcademy in Ulhasna-gar (ConstructionModule Champion)and Sharvari DineshVelkar from AspireAcademy in BandraEast (Advance ModelChampion). The trioreceived a cash awardof ?6,000 each and anadditional 'Champi-ons' reward of ?3,000.

Dr. Snehal Karia,President & CEO ofUCMAS India, Dr.Chris Chew, Execu-tive Director of UCInternational (Malay-sia), Wong Zi- UC

Cont. on pg. 10

Students participate enthusiasticallyin Fit India Cyclython

By Vikram Gaikwad

NAVI MUMBAI : DattaMeghe World Academyorganised a cycle rally‘Fit India Cyclothon’ on18th January, 2020,under the Fit India Pro-gramme- a dreamproject of Prime Minis-ter Narendra Modi.

Around 300 stu-dents and teachers ofDAV School, Airoli; NewHorizon ScholarSchool, Airoli; Radhika-bai Meghe Vidhyalaya,Airoli and Datta MegheWorld Academy active-ly participated in theevent.

While addressingthe gathering PrincipalMr. Rajeev Kumarstressed on physicalwellbeing of a person.He emphasised on re-ducing digital time andincreasing involvementin physical activities.

"The body is an instru-ment of all good deedsand hence body shouldremain fit and healthy,"he stressed.

Santosh Rajput Ad-

ministrative officer,NYSS, Airoli, and Mrs.Alka Jadhav, Principalof Smt. RadhikabaiMeghe Vidhyalay En-glish Medium, flaggedoff the cycle rally.

The participants hitthe 6 km long Cyclothon

track on their bicyclesspreading the messageof ‘Stay Fit andHealthy’.

The Cyclothonended with thanks to

NMMC, Traffic Police,Rabale Police Stationand Volunteers fromDatta Meghe WorldAcademy. To motivateall the participantsand encourage every-

Cont. on pg. 8

Sunday, 19 January 2020www.newsband.in | dailynewsband@yahoo.co.in 7

By Dr. Monica Khanna

While conductingmock interviews forstudents of an engi-neering college sometime ago, I beganwith the standardquestion, “Tell meabout yourself.” Inresponse, they pro-ceeded to tell meabout their academicbackground and con-

sequently, their fam-ilies. Much to my dis-dain, when theyspoke about theirmothers, several stu-dents said, “She’s justa housewife.” Theword ‘just’ pierced myheart as though anarrow had just beenshot through it and Iwinced with discom-fort and pain.

I have often heardwomen respond in thesame way when theyintroduce them-selves. “I’m just ahousewife,” they re-ply when they areasked what they do.Obviously, merelychanging the term‘housewife’ to themore politically cor-rect ‘homemaker’ hasnot made much of adifference to the waythe nature of the

An Unjust Justwork performed by thehomemaker is per-ceived.

Years ago, KarlMarx had explained thedevaluation of a wom-an’s status in society bystating that what awoman produces is‘consumed’ at home andtherefore has only ‘usevalue’, while what aman produces has ‘ex-change value’ and isconsidered superior.Since the woman doesnot bring in any in-come, her contributionis often rendered insig-nificant and taken forgranted.

Sadly, even to thisday, the contribution ofa home maker is not

accorded the respectand value that itshould. Taking care ofa house and bringingup children is physical-ly and mentally chal-lenging, and often bothstrenuous and stress-ful. At times, the mo-notony of the chores be-comes frustrating, andthe woman longs for achange. Once the chil-dren grow up and moveout, the empty nest syn-drome sets in, givingway to loneliness thatreaches a point of de-pression. At this junc-ture, the woman whohad happily given upher dreams of a lucra-tive career, sometimesfeels a tinge of regret ather decision. She nowfeels it is ‘too late’ to getback to the rat race ofthe corporate world, oreven pursue a hobby

that had she had oncebeen passionateabout. To make mat-ters worse, the chil-dren for whose sakeshe took this decision,dismiss her as ‘just’ ahousewife.

Ironically, when awoman chooses to en-gage in paid work,she is made to feelguilty about neglect-ing her home andchildren; and is con-stantly expected tobalance her personaland professional life.When she chooses tostay at home, she istold she is ‘wasting’her education doing‘nothing’. In manycases, the choice to be

a home maker is nother own, but is im-posed on her by thefamily into which shemarries.

It is high time wedelete the word ‘just’when we talk about ahome maker, andlearn to recognise andvalue her contribu-tion not only to thefamily, but even to so-ciety. Each one of ushas the right to choosehow we wish to leadour lives. The choiceshould be our own,and should be treatedwith respect, insteadof constantly beingjudged by others.

The writer is Associate

Professor, Indira

Institute of Business

Management, Consult-

ant, Indian School of

Management and

Entrepreneurship

By Dr. Vandana Mahajani

Swami Vivekanan-da when in thoughtfulmood once said thatIndia needs a dictatorwho can set thingsright first. Then aloneslowly can we estab-lish a democracy inthis land. However,despite this he sharedthe thought of organi-sation to be namedafter their masterShri Ramakrishna.Ramakrishna missionthus came intoexistence with Swam-iji himself being itsfirst president. Themission startedworking along thelines of religiouspractice and devotionand concentration andmeditation as laiddown by Sri Ra-makrishna.

Swami Vivekanan-da believed that SriRamakrishna hadchosen him to do allthe work that was tobe done for theupliftment of man-kind. He told Yoga-nanda that it waspossible for him tobear the cold winds ofthe west, live withouta penny on himselfand also digest all theadulation he receivedin the west whencrowds had followedhim without beingleast affect by any-thing at all due to hisGuru’s grace.

Ramakishna said-“Do rely on Him. Belike the dry leaf at themercy of the wind.The wind of His graceis always blowing;what you need to do isunfurl your sail.”

Many a timesVivekananda felt thatby starting themission he wouldstart a new sect. Thishe never wanted tohappen. Therefore, till

Inspire 27 : Inspired talks – 3

date we see themission working witha purpose, devoid ofany tag of any sect orGod ruling it.

Swamiji was oncetalking to his disciplesabout Rigveda. Theyreferred to Sayana’acommentary of Veda.Sayana was a San-skrit scholar from theVijayanagara Empireof South India, nearmodern day Bellary.Conversation movedtowards Max Muller,as his work wasavailable in thevolumes in the room.Friedrich Max Müllerwas a German bornphilologist andOrientalist, who livedand studied in Britainfor most of his life. Hewas one of thefounders of thewestern academicfield of Indian studiesand the discipline ofStudy of religions .Müller wrote bothscholarly and popularworks on the subjectof Indology Vive-kananda remarkedthat he felt Sayanawas himself reborn asMax Muller in presenttimes!! While Vive-kananda stayed withMuller he felt he wasin the company of

Sage Vashistha andArundhati. Muller toobelieved that Ra-mamkrishna was anincarnation of God onearth.

The disciple put avery interestingquestion to Swamiji.“Why was max mullernot born in India f hewas himselfSayana inhis past birth.?” Hisreply was “Onlybecause he was bornin a country whichhad great wealth, butno knowledge couldMuller publish thevolumes of writingsand commentaries onVedas.”

The East Indiacompany paid ninelakhs in cash to getthe Vedas publishedthen! “It took twentyfive years and hun-dreds of Vedic punditswho were paid stipendto do the job” saidMuller. It took anoth-er 25 years to printthe manuscriptswritten by Muller.Forty five years doingaa single task is noordinary man’s job. Ithad to be the Sayana,the Scholar himself ina new birth.

Dr Vandana Mahajani isPramukh VivekanandaKendra, Navi Mumbai

Nikhil Krishnan, Std. 1, Reliance FoundationSchool, Koparkhairane.

Kid’s Zone

Sunday, 19 January 2020www.newsband.in | dailynewsband@yahoo.co.in 8

MUMBAI: Whetherdriving the Interstatehighways of America,the Autobahn in Eu-rope, or the Asian High-way Network, chancesare, one will see morewhite cars than anyother color on the road.This is one of the cen-tral results of the BASFColour Report 2019 forAutomotive OEM Coat-ings.

About 39% of allcars built around theglobe were paintedwhite. Behind thatnumber is an interest-ing shift: Althoughwhite is the most popu-lar colour in every re-gion, there are remark-able differences in theregional distribution.While in Asia Pacificalmost every second caris painted white, onlyevery third car in NorthAmerica and EMEA iscoated in this colour.Other achromatic co-lours – black, grey andsilver – are the nextthree most popular co-lours. Together, theycoat another 39% of thecars that rolled off theassembly line in 2019.This trend also countsfor the most popularcar segment overall: theSUVs.

But the world isn’tjust black and white.The other 22% of theworld’s new vehicleswere sprayed withchromatic colours in2019. About 9% of thevehicles produced glo-bally were blue, and 7%were painted red. Eachaddressing an emotion-al motive that goeswith car ownership andindividuality. BASF’sdesigners use uniquepigments, effects and

White colour defends its leading position although it is slightly declining globally

other innovations tocreate deep and bril-liant shades.

Subcompacts andother smaller vehiclesare more likely to havea blast of colour. Beyondblue and red, brown andbeige are starting toemerge, especially inEurope, Middle Eastand Africa (EMEA).

India: White solidi-fies popularity further;silver and grey makeup the top three co-lours. In a countrywhere fuel efficiencyand cost affordabilityrule the roost, whitecars have become thepopular choice for cus-tomers. Compared to2018 (43%), more cus-tomers opted for whitecars in 2019 (47%). Thecolour reflects heat,which translates intolower energy require-ment for cooling, mak-ing it a good option inhot climates like India.Silver (13%), grey (11%)followed by red (9%) andblack (7%) make up thetop five most preferredcolours by customers inthe country. Interest-ingly, in the compacthatchback category ofvehicles (globally- B seg-ment vehicles), whichaccounts for the high-est volume of privatevehicles sales in India,red is the most pre-ferred colour.

Asia Pacific: Indi-vidual colours increase,while white is still dom-inant Most vehicles inAsia Pacific are achro-matic, with an un-changed 77% colourshare. Almost every sec-ond car here remainswhite, with a dominant49%, which is highestamong all regions.

Pearl white is especial-ly popular. On the oth-er hand, black is stilllow compared to otherregions, but is gettingmore attention as asporty and individualexpression. The diverseshades, tones and ef-fects of chromatic colourare characteristic forAsia Pacific. Amongthese colours, blue is atthe top with 7%, as itis commonly seen onelectric vehicles (EVs),followed by red at 6%.“Blue and white sup-port the image of clean,

pure and sustainabledesigns,” said ChiharuMatsuhara, head ofDesign Asia Pacific /Coatings Colour andDesign. Car buyers inAsian Pacific countriesalso demand higher de-sign quality and indi-viduality.

“Grey plays a con-siderable role for EVs,with unique effectssuch as semi opaqueand silky colours whichadd to the futuristicimage of new connect-ed technologies, includ-ing ride-sharing andautonomous cars. NewEVs are bringing newvalues and colour de-sign to the automotiveindustry as a whole.”

EMEA: With ashare of 77%, achromat-ic colours still dominatethe picture on the

streets in the EMEAregion, although theshare of white cars, themost popular colouroverall, dwindledslightly. While the pop-ularity of silver alsodeclines, grey continuesits success story with ashare of 20% in themarket.

The chromatic seg-ment slightly gains:Nearly every fourth carin Europe was paintedin a chromatic colour.Within this segment,blue still leads the wayby achieving 11%.

With about 160 differ-ent shades it is alsofront runner in colourdiversity. With a shareof 2%, beige emergessignificantly for thefirst time: “A need forsofter and approachablesurfaces results in thegrowing popularity ofbeige colour spaces –but they have to bemodern and appealingto be accepted by theend consumer,” saidMark Gutjahr, head ofAutomotive Color De-sign EMEA.

Effects are an im-portant design instru-ment as they highlightthe shape of a car andoffer a special appear-ance. Therefore, a deepdive into effect colourswas part of the evalua-tion. Especially darkpaints are often com-

bined with effect pig-ments. White coloursdominate as solids. Inaddition, the analysisshows a high share ofeffect colours amongthe chromatic colourpalette.

North America:White is still on top,but changing on theroads of North Ameri-ca achromatic coloursare clearly in the ma-jority: white, black, sil-ver, and grey, coat 77%of the market, followingglobal trends. But com-pared to the globaltrend, the color distri-bution is more bal-anced, since the mostpopular colour whiteonly counts for 29% ofthe overall distribution.The North Americanmarket is also leadingthe shift from warmwhites – those with yel-low undertones – tocooler whites – thosewith bluish undertonesand white pearl effects,especially on luxuryand electric vehicles.Moreover, North Amer-ica is a global leader inthe popularity of pick-up trucks. As they shiftfrom utilitarian tools toluxury people-movers,they are trending to-ward deep, rich blacks,alongside the vast num-ber of white trucks(38%) and a relativelyhigh market share ofred with 11%.

“These aren’t yourfather’s pickup trucks,”said Paul Czornij, headof design for NorthAmerica. “They are lux-ury machines, and theyare adopting the co-lours you see in the lux-ury market’s designlanguage.”

South America:

White and Red go on asfavorite colours Whiteremains the favouritecolour among SouthAmerican consumers,capturing a marketshare of 39%. This trendhas been out there forsome years. “Initiallylinked to technology inearly 2010, with thelaunch of mobile phonesand other gadgets ofthis colour, white cur-rently reinforces the“environmental colour”aspect, being connectedto cleanliness and puri-ty of air and water aswell as environmentalpreservation," saidMarcos Fernandes, Au-tomotive Coatings Di-rector at BASF forSouth America.

Other achromaticcolours are also part ofthe buyers' preference:23% choose silver and14% grey. Black, whichcaptures 11% of themarket share, is lesspopular in South Amer-ica compared to 16%encompassing the glo-bal portion. Among thechromatic colours, redkeeps conquering thehearts of South Ameri-cans, with 8% of themarket share, followedby blue and beige. “Redhas its traditional pres-ence in sales, it is a vi-brant colour, connectedto sportiness and beau-ty, in addition to beinga colour that maintainsits value in resale,” saidFernandes.

The BASF ColourReport for AutomotiveOEM Coatings is a dataanalysis from BASF'sCoatings division basedon global automotiveproduction and paintapplication to light ve-hicles in 2019.

one to have a healthylife style and stay fit,Principal Mr. RajeevKumar declared thatit will now be anannual event and nextyear onwards trophyfor maximum partici-pation shall be award-ed.

Studentsparticipate...

Contd. from pg. 6

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By Divakar Gore

NAVI MUMBAI: TheCotton TextilesExport PromotionCouncil (TEXPRO-CIL), the first ExportPromotion Councilset up in India in theyear 1954 and respon-sible for promotingexports of cottontextile celebrated theachievements of itsmember exporters atthe Annual Awardsfunction held at theITC Hotel Grandrecently. Every yearthe Council recogniz-es the role played byexporters by givingout awards in differ-ent categories. Thisyear, the Councildistributed fifty eightawards in thirty twodifferent categories,including the covetedPlatinum trophy forthe highest globalexports. Recognisingthe role played byMSME units in Indiaand given that thegrowth of MSMEs isone of the manythrust areas of thegovernment, Texpro-cil also added anAward for the highestemployment generat-ed by MSME unitsthis year.

Smt. Smriti ZubinIrani, Hon’ble Minis-ter of Textiles andWomen and ChildDevelopment, was theChief Guest at theTexprocil AnnualExport Award func-tion held on 16thJanuary 2020 inMumbai.

While congratulat-ing the Award win-ners, Dr K V Srini-vasan, Chairman,Texprocil in hisopening remarks

Ms. Smriti Zubin Irani presents the awards

stated that theexports of textiles &clothing were severe-ly affected by theglobal situations likethe trade conflict ofUS with China, EU’sstruggle with Brexit,the growing geo-political tensions inthe Middle East andthe removal of GSPbenefits to India byUS.

In the backdrop ofthese challenges theChairman thankedthe government fortaking the initiativein recognising theincidence of state andcentral tax levies andtheir impact on thecompetitiveness ofexported textile goodsby announcing thenew Scheme of theRemission of Dutiesor Taxes on ExportProducts i.e.RoDTEP, which hehoped will addressthe issues of dutiesand taxes suffered bythe entire valuechain.

The Chairmanalso lauded theHon’ble Minister for

her personal efforts toget the GazetteNotification of March7, 2019, announcingRoSCTL for Gar-ments & Made-upsimplemented videNotification dated 14January 2020.

Dr Srinivasan alsorequested the Hon’bleMinister to considerthe cotton textilessector as a valuechain in continuummentioning that anyattempt to selectivelygrant incentives tocertain segments ofthe value chain leadsto unintended distor-tions and consequenc-es. A case in point isthe systematicexclusion of cottonyarn from the pack-age of incentivessince 2014, he added.He further reiteratedthat Cotton yarn alsobears the sameincidence of state andcentral levies as inthe case of made upsand garments. Hesaid that cotton yarnshould be coveredunder the RoSCTLscheme and the MEIS

and should also becovered under the 3%Interest Equalizationscheme.

The Chairmanfinally concluded bythanking the Hon’bleMinister for herpersonal interventionin various mattersrelating to theprogress and growthof the industry.

The GeneralManager (SME),State Bank of IndiaShri S Kalyanramthen addressed thegathering on thesignificance andimportance of therelationship betweenthe banks and theexporters and high-lighted the facilitiesprovided for MSMEs.

The Chief Guest,Smt Smriti ZubinIrani then distribut-ed the TexprocilAwards.

In her address,the Hon’ble Ministersaid that with thegrowth of textileindustry lies thegrowth of India andalso thanked SBI forbeing part of the

ceremony and sup-porting the industryas bankers play animportant role intextile and clothingexports. She saidthat the textileindustry has madeIndia proud throughits achievementsonly because of thecommitment anddedication of thecurrent and earliergenerations.

The Hon’bleMinister was also inagreement with themany issues pointedout by the ChairmanTexprocil in hiswelcome address.

Coming to thecotton procurementand auction process,the Minister prom-ised speedy resolu-tions in honoringcommitments andselling the fibre atcompetitive pricesrather than beingpurchased and thenstocked by CCI.

Ms Irani alsoassured the industrythat she will contin-ue to pursue inbringing the hank

yarn obligation downfurther from thecurrent percentage ofproduction.

The Minister alsomentioned that inthe new Mission onCotton she willexplore ways ofreplicating thesuccess of CDRAwhich is presentlybenefiting about170,000 farmers. Shesaid that the indus-try should makefarmers partners andalong with gainfulemployment forwomen the sectorshould look at qua-drupling its exportsand assured that theMinistry will alsostand shoulder toshoulder with theindustry in theseefforts.

Smt Irani re-quested the Chair-man Texprocil tohandhold smallcompanies and takethem along so thatthey may reach thelevel of a mediumsized companies.

Finally appreciat-ing the efforts ofTexprocil for leadingfrom the front sherequested CCI,Texprocil and theSkill DevelopmentMinistry to cometogether and preparea paper on mechaniz-ing the cotton pick-ing methods toreduce contaminationand assured the fullsupport of the Minis-try of Textiles to-wards this effort.

Mr Manoj Pato-dia, Vice Chairmanof Texprocil thenproposed a Vote ofThanks.

Texprocil gives away 58 export awards in 32 different categories

By Crime Reporter

NAVI MUMBAI: ThePanvel Session Courthas sentenced a man for5 years rigorous im-pressment and a fine ofRs 20,000 for murderinghis wife. The accused,Srinivas Subbarao Chit-tori, 45, killed his wifeby hitting her head with

Husband sentenced for 5 years Rigorous Imprisonment for murdering wifea hammer for suspect-ing her character. Theincident took place atKendriya Vihar Colony,Kharghar in January2016.

The accused Srini-vas, lived with his wifePushpa and two chil-dren. He had goneabroad to work and re-

turned back after ayear. After his return,he started suspectinghis wife's character andoften the two had bitterquarrel over this. Oneday, in a fit of anger, hehit his wife Pushpawith an iron hammeron her head. After theincident, the accused

Srinivas accompaniedhis 6-year-old son to arelative’s house inThane and informedthem that he had mur-dered his wife. Srinivaswas later arrested byKharghar police on thecharges of murder.

Subsequently, Bha-nu Khatavkar, the then

Inspector of Police atKharghar Police Sta-tion, investigated thecase and filed a chargesheet against the ac-cused in the AlibaughSessions Court. The tri-al was initially set tobegin in Alibaug Ses-sions Court. The casewas later heard in a ses-

sions court in Panvel.Based on the evidence,it was found that theincident happened in arage, Justice Rajesh As-mar convicted Srinivasunder IPC 304 Part-2and sentenced him tofive years of rigorousimprisonment and afine of Rs 20,000.

Sunday, 19 January 2020www.newsband.in | dailynewsband@yahoo.co.in 10

By Jubel D’Cruz

Water is necessaryfor survival of humanlife. People require it fordomestic, agriculturaland industrial purpos-es. Three-fourths of theearth’s surface is cov-ered by water bodies. 97per cent of this water ispresent in oceans assalt water and is unfitfor human consump-tion. Fresh water ac-counts for only about2.7 per cent. Nearly 70per cent of this occursas ice sheets and gla-ciers in Antarctica andother inaccessible plac-es. Only one per cent offresh water is availableand fit for human con-sumption. So, it is veryimportant to conservethis precious resource.And yet we are contam-inating the existingwater resources withsewage, toxic chemicalsand other waste prod-ucts. Increasing popu-lation and rapid urban-isation has led to theover-use of water re-sources leading to wa-ter pollution and scar-city.

Water scarcity canbe defined as a situationwhen people don’t haveenough water to fulfiltheir basic needs. Indiais one of the many coun-

Save each and every drop of watertries of the world thatis facing a water scar-city today. In Rajasthanand some parts of Gu-jarat, women have totravel long distances onfoot in order to get a potfull of water. In citieslike Mumbai, a familyhas to spend from Rs 25to Rs 50 to meet theirdaily water needs. Theproblem becomes se-vere during summerwhen availability ofwater decreases again.A recent study has re-vealed that about 25per cent of urban popu-

lation lacks the acces-sibility to fresh water.Also, there are severalcases of privatisation ofwater bodies. This oftenleads to water scarcityin the nearby areas.

There are differentmethods to deal withwater scarcity. Rainwater harvesting is thebest and most suitablemethod. Forest and oth-er vegetation cover re-duce surface runoff andrecharge ground water.So, practice afforesta-tion. We can also pro-mote water conserva-tion through media and

by conducting publicawareness pro-grammes.

Here are some tipsto save water on a dai-ly basis. Use just onebucket of water whiletaking a bath. Avoid anoverhead or hand show-er facility. Turn off thetap while brushing yourteeth. Wash your car oryour two-wheelers witha single bucket of wa-ter. Do not use a hoseas this takes a lot ofwater. Water yourplants with a mug. Atrestaurants, ask for

just half a glass of wa-ter to drink instead ofasking for a full glassand then wasting it.Wash clothes twice orthrice a week.

By practicing thesesimple steps, we canconserve water and en-sure the availability ofwater to future genera-tions. So don’t delay;start saving each andevery drop of waterfrom today onwards.Water is precious andcosts money. It is moreprecious than silver andgold.

The writer is freelancer

International (Ma-laysia) and AnjanaRoy, Principal ofPDMP IES PrimarySchool were invitedas chief guests forthe competition andfelicitated thewinners.

CBS EducationPvt Ltd, the MasterFranchisee forUCMAS (Mumbairegion), had organ-

ised the competition.CD Mishra, Directorof CBS Education,gushed over the winand said, "It is avery proud momentfor us. Our mainobjective behindorganising thiscompetition is to findabacus genius and todevelop a healthycompetitive spiritamong the childrenwhile giving them anopportunity andplatform to showcasetheir talent."

UCMAS standsfor Universal Con-

cept Mental Arith-metic System (UC-MAS), an interna-tional educationalorganisation that isthe global leader inwhole brain develop-ment and mentalarithmetic training.It runs trainingcentres in mentalarithmetic all overIndia and abroad. Ittrains children of 4-14 years in arith-metic and enhancesskills like concentra-tion, creativity,listening and photo-graphic memory.

Kids fromMumbai bag

trophy...Contd. from pg. 6

Indian Elite Athletes Aim To Make MarkAt Tata Mumbai Marathon 2020

Defending Champion Sudha, former champion

Jyoti and Army’s Ace Marathoners Srinu and

Rashpal to lead Indian challenge

By Ashok Dhamija

Two time reigningchampion and courserecord holder SudhaSingh along withformer champion JyotiGawte, Indian Army’selite runners of thelikes of Rashpal Singh(National Champion2019 and winner ofSouth Asian Games Sil-ver medal) and SrinuBugatha (Airtel DelhiHalf Marathon andTata Steel Kolkata 25kMarathon winner) willlead India’s challengeover 42.195 km in the17th edition of the TataMumbai Marathonwith an aim to clock ina new personal recordand in the process setnew National record.

Top contender and acrowd favorite SudhaSingh coached underBijendra Singh, whowon the TMM twice in2018 and 2019, achiev-ing personal bestingtiming of 2:34:56 in2019, is all set to beback in the marathonscene after a break of 2months. Sharing herviews prior to the eventthe 33 year old , Sudhawho is a Sports Officerbased at the CentralRailway Head Quar-ters the venue for flag

(L to R) Srinu Bugatha, Rashpal Singh, Sudha Singh, and Jyoti Gawte will lead India’schallenge in the Men and Women’s category at the TMM 2020. (Photo by Author)

off and finish shared, “Tata Mumbai Mara-thon will help me addmore to training foun-dation and mentallyprepare for future com-petitions. I have highhopes from the eventgiven the better weath-er conditions this year.I could feel it duringmy morning run todaythough the humidityrose after 7:20 am.”

On being askedabout her Doha Cham-pionship, she shared, “Ihave been training atNIS Patiala as part ofthe National Camp. Iam not just hoping forIndian athletes to notjust qualify but also forus to bring in moremedals home.” Sudhaalso holds the title of agold medalist at 3000meters’ steeplechase atthe esteemed AsianGames in the year2010.

2017 Tata MumbaiMarathon winner andrunner’s up in the pre-vious edition 33 year oldJyoti Gawte who re-cently won a Bronze atthe South Asian Games2019, Kathmandu witha timing of 2:52:00 sec-onds will however aimto upset the Indian ti-tle favourite Sudha

Singh this time aroundshared “The weather isthe same as where Iwas training beforecoming here but thisyear ’s cool air isdefinitely a welcomechange to last year’sconditions. I am aimingto finish the race before2:45 pm and want togive it my best to winthe title again.”

For the benefit of theathletes, this year’sTime Performance Bo-nus has been intro-duced by the organisersProcamm for the Indi-an athletes. At the10km mark, the perfor-mance bonus of Rs.40,000 will be awarded.For Indian elite ath-letes, the cut-off tim-ings are 00:32:00s,01:03:30s, 01:35:00s for10K, 20K, and 30K re-spectively. Similarly,the cut off timings forIndian elite women are00:32:10s, 01:15:00s,01:51:00s, for 10K, 20k,and 30K respectively.

Current nationalchampion RashpalSingh, a trainee atArmy Sports Institute(ASI), Pune who land-ed in the city a day pri-or to the event too

Contd. on pg. 11

Sunday, 19 January 2020www.newsband.in | dailynewsband@yahoo.co.in 11

showed his intent toimprove his Personalbest timing (2:19:19which he set at the In-dira Marathon 2018,Allahabad. Fourthamong the Indian ath-letes in the last editionwho ran the last mara-thon in December be-lieves that the “TimePerformance Bonus”, isa good initiative. “Ev-eryone has been tellingme that the weather isgood this time and theroute too in the earlypart will ensure fastertiming, but honestly itis quite unpredictabledue to the constant cli-mate change” sharedRashpal. He furtheradded, “On this route,I have already complet-ed in 2hr 21mins andnow I will try to finish

it within 2hr 20mins.”Srinu Bugatha, a

proud army man fromAndhra Pradesh whoalso trains at ASI, Punewith his compatriotRishab is also ready toset new records thanksto the two experiencedpacers that are provid-ed to him by Procamthis year. “Runningwith the two pacers to-morrow will help meattain my best tim-ings.” He further add-ed, “Mumbai weather ispreferable this year. Incold weather, the lung’scapacity for oxygen in-take increases which inreturn helps in avoid-ing dehydration. Butsince the race starts at7:20 and the sun startscoming in the face by 9am, which has aneffect on the runningpace.”

He continues, “I amaiming for the course

Indian EliteAthletes...

Contd. from pg. 10

record of 2:16. I ran 25K,last year in Decemberand I came first. I at-tained the first positionat Airtel Delhi Half Mar-athon and a good 25K

Leading the halfmarathon men’s packwill be Shankar ManThapa, who was the run-ner-up in 2019. In thewomen’s half marathon,veteran athlete SwatiGadhave willf a c e o p p o s i t i o nfrom 2019 runner-up &winner of 2018 edition,Monica Athare.

Elite Indian Athletes ForThe TMM 2020

Elite Indian Men 2020 - Srinu Bugatha, Rash-pal Singh, Rahul Pal,Sher Singh, PradeepSingh Chaudhary.

Elite Indian Women2020 - Sudha Singh, Jyo-ti Gawate, ShyamaliSingh, DivyankaChaudhary, Jigmet Dol-ma

Remembering our freedom fightersIndependence Day and Republic Day are days for us to celebrate with

the hoisting of our national flag, recitation of our national anthem, singingpatriotic songs and organising social and cultural programmes.

On these days, we must also remember the sacrifices made by our var-ious freedom fighters who bravely fought for our country’s independenceand pay our due respect to them. But it’s a pity that after every Indepen-dence Day and Republic Day celebrations, the country’s national flag isstrewn on the streets and people irrespective of caste, creed, colour or reli-gion blithely walk over them.

Even when the national anthem is played on the radio or telecast ontelevision, people don’t respect it. They are busy talking to their friends ontheir mobile phones or chatting with people around them. As Indians, weshould respect our National Anthem, National Flag and National Song.

Jubel D’Cruz, Mumbai

More questions need answersThe catching of Dy SP Davinder Singh with two top Hizbul terrorists

have opened a huge lot of questions. Since when has he been transportingterrorists for their mission of creating meyhem and under whose instruc-tions was he doing all this? This couldn't be an act which nobody in thepolice hierarchy didn't notice, or is there still many more "Black Sheeps" inthe force?

Like it or not but Afzal Guru's naming Davinder Singh as the one whohad sent him to Delhi before the Parliament attack, been taken more seri-ously and investigated. Maybe Afzal Guru was just made a scapegoat forthe whole operation or we as a Nation were okay with punishing someonewith a background fulfilling all the ingredients of a dreaded terrorist?

Syed Abdul Monim, A-7 Tata Vidyut, Sector 9A, Vashi

Letter to the Editor....

Sunday, 19 January 2020www.newsband.in | dailynewsband@yahoo.co.in 12

By Jaspal Singh Naol

ULWE: In the lasttwo years, the City andIndustrial Develop-ment Corporation’s (CI-DCO) developed Ulwenode has grown rapid-ly and so has the num-ber of vehicles. This hasled to an increase innumber of small acci-dents and quarrels atthe Shagun junction,say the motorists.

Alarmed by this andwith an aim to find so-lution, a joint visit ofresident, police and CI-DCO was organised atShagun Junction,which is the only ma-jor junction having fourways from where vehi-cles get directed to dif-ferent sectors of thenodes.

Under the directionof Rajendra Chavhan,

Ulwe residents take up the issue of rising threat at Shagun Junctionneeded to bring in roaddisciplinary practiceamong the motorists.

PI BhausahebGaikar agreed with thefact and assured theresidents that he willtake up the issue withhigher authorities andcome up with propersolution.

Ulwe Stake Hold-ers group members ex-tended their thanks toPolice and CIDCO offi-cials for their supportand stated that theywill stand along withthem to resolve theproblem that is direct-ly linked with the safe-ty of the residents.They also thanked theNavi Mumbai PoliceCommissioner SanjayKumar and socialworker Kantilal Kadufor rendering support.

Assistant Police Com-missioner Zone 2, thePolice InspectorBhausaheb Gaikar, Be-lapur Traffic, SantoshSali, Assistant Execu-tive Engineer CIDCO(Ulwe) Social WorkerJaspal Singh Naol ofGreen Society Forum,Ulwe Stake HoldersBasant Bhadoria, Vilas

Singh Chandel, SukhiKonduskar, ChunilalTaravia Patel, NikhilM, K Binoy, Vilas An-gre, A K Naik, Deven-dra Singh and othersvisited the spot.

CIDCO AEE, San-tosh Sali shared theproposed island plan foreasing the traffic at thisjunction. However, the

residents alleged thatthese islands are not atall the solution and theshared plan cannot re-solve the daily acci-dents happening at thisShagun Junction.

They demanded thatthere has to be atleastone traffic policemen atthe peak hours, that is,in the morning and in

the evening. They alsodemanded Traffic Sig-nals to be installed atthe earliest. They alsorequested the CIDCOEngineer to create anew plan for this junc-tion for ensuring thesafety of the residents,which is at higher riskat present. They statedthat this is urgently

NAVI MUMBAI: Evenas the rising sea levelspose increasing threatsto the city, the resurfac-ing of roads has begunto raise another possi-bility of flooding, envi-ronmentalists say.

The periodic resur-facing of roads acrossthe city is resulting risein the levels thorough-fares, said B N Kumar,director of NGO Nat-Connect Foundation.“This is a dangeroustrend as the heights ofroads have begun to goabove the compounds ofresidential and com-mercial complexes andseveral other build-ings,” he said.

“We have been see-ing flooding of housingcolonies due to a vari-ety of reasons includingchoking of drains. But

Motorists upset with unannounced, frequent road blocksthis rising road levels isa fresh threat,” he said.

Choking of man-groves and blocking theflow of creeks is posing

flood threat to many vil-lages in Uran and thisrising road levels isturning out to be yetanother serious envi-ronmental issue inMumbai, Thane andother places, said Nan-dakumar Pawar, headof Shri Ekvira Aai Prat-ishtan (SEAP).

The road works havealso been resulting infrequent and suddenblocks giving surprisesand shocks to motorists

across the city. For in-stance, the barriersstating ‘road closed’have been there for over15 days at AbhyudayaBank at Sectoer-17,Vashi, Kumar said.

The sign boardsstating the details ofthe civil work, thename of the contractor

and the dates of start-ing and finishing thework are missing at al-most all places wherethe repairs are on, said

Kumar. The work obvi-ously lacks transparen-cy, he said.

Civic bodies andcontractors obviouslyfind a shortcut to repairthe roads. They oughtto scrape the roads, re-move the debris andthen do the resurfac-ing. Instead, the con-

tractors just pour tarand stone chips mix.This process gets re-peated quite frequentlypre and post monsoons

in particular and dur-ing VIP visits and fes-tivals, Pawar said.

The road repairshave just beenlaunched on a war foot-ing as the extendedmonsoon has ended. Onthe surface of it, theproblem may not lookserious now, but come

til, Deputy Commis-sioner of Traffic BranchSunil Lokhande, Panv-el Sub-Regional Trans-port Officer HemanginiPatil were present onthe occasion.

Prominent Marathiartist Santosh Juvekar,who was present at the

traffic rules and regula-tions among school stu-dents. He also said oneshould help an accidentvictim without fear asno question will beasked by hospitals orpolice as per the ordersof the Supreme Court.“A prompt action canhelp in saving preciouslife,” he said.

On this occasion,the Navi Mumbai Traf-

monsoon the city willhave it. The govern-ment must, therefore,ensure proper resurfac-ing of roads before it istoo late as the buildingscannot match the ris-ing road heights, Ku-mar said.

“It is shocking to seesuch mismanagementof roads even in NaviMumbai touted as theCity of the 21st Centu-ry,” Kumar lamented.The city is supposed tobe a model city andsuch a model is highlydiscouraging, he said.

As it is, many areaslike Vashi are below thesea level and the risingroads lead to waterlog-ging in many condo-miniums adding to thewoes of the people whoare faced with manywater-borne diseases.

fic Department ho-noured winners of thepainting and drawingcompetition and thewinners of the RSP pa-rade. The Youth Foun-dation of Kharghar pre-sented an informativetalk on traffic rules.

Deputy RegionalTransport Officer Pan-vel Smt. Hemangini Pa-til proposed the vote ofthanks.

31st RoadSafety...Contd. from pg. 5

concluding ceremony ofRoad Safety Mission,lauded the performanceof the traffic depart-

ment and urged them todo the same in future.

Speaking on the oc-casion, Commissioner of

Police Sanjay Kumarsaid that the parentsand teachers shouldraise awareness about